Kelly Howiszak thought that she wanted to go to a college in the city. Then the Daniel Boone senior visited and fell in love with Mansfield University, located in a scenic town of 3,600 in the north central part of the state, and she decided that’s where she wanted to continue her studies and soccer career.

Howiszak plans to major in chemistry and minor in forensic science and hopes to make an immediate contribution to the NCAA Division II and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference member Mountaineers following four varied and successful years of sports at Daniel Boone.

“The coach contacted me first and I went there for a visit,” said Howiszak. “It just kind of felt right. At first, I thought I wanted to go to the city. I never would have imagined me going to a school like that. I fell in love with it. The atmosphere, all the people were nice, and it just felt right.”

Howiszak, who also considered Lycoming College and Penn State-Berks, also wanted to make sure she chose a good school to pursue her intended field of study.

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“That’s what held me back the most,” she said. “I wanted to pick the best school for my major.”

She’ll finish up her Daniel Boone athletic endeavors this spring with the track team, something that wasn’t possible before since girls soccer teams in Berks County and District 3 competed in the spring prior to this school year.

She has been a key member of both the Blazer soccer and basketball teams for four years. Along the way, she played in the Berks Conference championship game in both sports as a freshman, made it to the PIAA Basketball Tournament twice, and was named to the Berks I All-Division Soccer team as a defender in the spring of 2012 and as a midfielder this past fall.

“I’ve played basketball since I was three and soccer for 10 or 11 years,” said Howiszak. “Soccer – that’s my true love and passion. I started as a goalkeeper as a freshman, but they said I was too fast to be a goalie. I started playing defense, and that’s my main position. You have to stop the best players that are going against you. I’ve always liked that. It was different this year, trying to score.”

That’s after Boone first-year head coach John Pantone decided to move her from the back to the midfield for her senior season.

“She was a midfielder this year because we had a need for that,” he said. “Kelly is fortunate to be a superior athlete. She has speed, she has strength, and she has size. She’s durable. She’s been, basically, the anchor of our team for three years. She was a starter as a freshman.

“Kelly has been just a great teammate, fun to be around, and the girls love her. She’s a great player and also a great kid. She’s smart. She understands the game. I’d often rely on Kelly and a few of the other seniors to give me advice.”

Howiszak responded with three goals and two assists during the fall season that wasn’t the best in terms of wins and losses, but was enjoyable nonetheless.

“It was just really about all the fun, because we had no pressure,” she said. “Every game, we were going out and trying to create an upset.”

Whether on defense or in the middle, she has used her 5-foot-8 height to her advantage.

Along with her busy school soccer and basketball schedules, Howiszak – the daughter of Pete and Pat Howiszak – has found the time to participate in the Varsity, Ecology, and French clubs and the Daniel Boone Youth Education Association. She also plays soccer for the FC Premier Lightning Soccer Club based in the Methacton area.

Howiszak hopes that her soccer skills and experience will earn her a starting spot on the Mansfield defense in the fall.

“I think it’s reachable, but I’m definitely going to put work into it,” she added. “I know they’re not short on defense, but a center-defender just graduated.”